Dezi’s Diamond Read online

  She rolled her eyes at him. “Remember? That’s what I said.”

  “But,” Dezi said, “this room here is part of the garage. It would be nothing to move the bigger vault in here between that door and that wall and just board it up. Nobody would know. You’d have access from inside the house.” He made a sketch for her to see how it would work.

  She shook her head. “Could it be that simple?” She smiled at him. “I wouldn’t have thought of something like that.”

  Her father studied the few renovations and nodded. “That would work nicely,” he said. “You currently have that other empty room nearby that could become your storeroom to hold all your supplies and maybe serve double-duty as an employee office.”

  The two men studied this part of Di’s house for a long moment, and Dezi turned to her. “I bet this wouldn’t take more than a week to set up.”

  “It’s a good plan,” her father said. “Adding the vault here should be easily done, using Dezi’s idea. And nobody would even know it’s there. This hallway can be completely cut off and opened up from the studio side instead.”

  At that, Dezi added a couple more walls to his drawing. “Do you know anybody who can make these changes?”

  She shook her head.

  “I do,” her father said. “I could get a couple quotes for you.”

  She beamed. “Yes, please.”

  Her father’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen. “It’s your sister. Hi, Ruby.” He paused to listen. “What do you mean, meet you tonight? Where are you?” A shorter pause. “You’re in Houston? I’m at your sister’s place.” He turned to look at Diamond. “Is it okay if Ruby comes over?”

  Diamond twisted her face up at him. “I guess, but it’s hardly a great time.”

  Dezi stepped forward and nudged her. When her father looked at him, Dezi said, “It’s a great time.”

  Her father gave the address to Ruby. “Her international flight arrived about an hour or so ago. Apparently Ronnie’s here too.”

  “Doesn’t that just figure?” she said. “We wondered if Ronnie was involved in this mess.”

  “Well,” a man behind them said, “now you don’t have to wonder anymore.”

  Ronnie had a swarthy complexion and dark hair, was somewhere in his thirties and held a snub-nosed revolver in his hand.

  Dezi swore.

  “You didn’t think to search the house this time, did you?” He laughed. “There’s really no security I can’t get into, particularly if it requires IT skills. It’s a simple matter to hack into the electrical currents around the corner of the house, connect a laptop and change the codes.”

  Dezi planted his hands on his hips. “So you’re the ringleader?”

  The guy’s chest puffed out. “Yes, I am.”

  “Ha. No way,” Dezi said. “You don’t have the brains for this.”

  The man’s gaze narrowed. He raised the revolver, pointing it at Dezi’s chest. “You’re nothing but the brawn,” he said. “A bullet can take you down in no time.”

  He stared at the intruder. “Ronnie, right?”

  The man gave a clipped laugh. “Took you long enough to figure it out, didn’t it?”

  “Not really,” Dezi said. “You were the best choice right from the beginning.”

  “No way,” he blustered. “There were lots of suspects. Not to mention Sammy and his boyfriend,” he said in mocking tones.

  “Was Sammy involved?” Diamond asked, her voice hard, angry.

  “No,” Ronnie said. “Sammy fell in love, shared some secrets, little bits and pieces, all part of the pillow talk. Of course we had to knock him out because he got very uncooperative. I don’t know if he’ll make it or not. Better for us if he doesn’t.”

  “And your three henchmen in the city jail?” Dezi asked. “What did you do to them to make it so they wouldn’t talk?”

  “A little reward and a lot of threat,” he said. “I didn’t set this up on my own. A team is involved in the thefts, another to create the forgeries. I’ve got a crew of jewelry makers on hand in Europe working for me. None from Liechester Diamonds. They all seemed a tad too loyal to your father for me to approach them. And of course creating the counterfeit pieces is expensive too.”

  “Not that much money, considering your potential profit,” Diamond’s father said. “You could have been involved in something so much bigger within the Liechester company. You could have had all the money you ever wanted.”

  “No, I will have had a lot of money,” he said, “but only if I married Ruby. And the thing she hates the most is her baby sister. So I get in Ruby’s good graces by doing this at the same time.”

  Her father stiffened, and Dezi could see the question in Henry’s gaze as he asked, “I presume that’s why she’s arriving any moment?”

  Ronnie looked at Henry, startled. “She’s here?”

  Diamond’s father nodded. “She just called to say she recently arrived in Houston.”

  “I wonder why?” Ronnie frowned. “Not that it matters. First I will get this taken care of, and then I’ll meet her.”

  “How will you do that?” Diamond asked. “Are you planning on killing us all?”

  “After I clean out both safes,” he said. “You’ll help me clean out this one, and then we’ll return to the store to get into that one. I almost got in there earlier, but somebody changed the damn code while I was there. Somehow they knew I was logged in to the security system. I’m the hacker. Normally I can get into anything I want and leave no tracks. Hell I hacked all your emails all the time. Easiest way to see what was going on in your business …” He shook his head. “But getting booted out of the system … that just pissed me right off. I went and paid Sammy a visit after that. And that’s when he decided to be uncooperative.”

  Dezi studied Ronnie’s hand holding the gun. It was steady, stable. Ronnie had done this a time or two. “It’s not that easy to kill people in cold blood,” Dezi said.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Ronnie said. “When you get down to it, it gets easier each time. You see? I needed to get into her safe here. We got her design sketches, but we didn’t get the rest of the contents. And we needed the rest of it too. I don’t know how those idiots didn’t get that message. They were supposed to clean it out entirely, not just the papers.”

  “They got my hand-drawn designs,” she cried out passionately. “Isn’t that enough?”

  He shot her a look. “You’re just a designer, pretty lady, just one of many. Sure, people pay a lot of money for your designs, but, once we have them, somebody else will be making the jewelry. You also have a ton of supplies and a lot of very good high-quality diamonds. I’m not leaving those behind.”

  “Is that why Ruby is coming? To help you off-load all this stuff?”

  “Hell no,” he said. “She doesn’t know anything about it. I’ve been systematically getting her jewelry replaced over the last couple years. I just figured she’d be happier if your business failed and made us richer. Makes her that much happier to be with me. Not that I give a damn. Once I get all her jewelry replaced, I’ll move on to plan B.”

  Dezi could see the pain radiating from Diamond’s features, and the anger her father felt was evident in his expression, his stance.

  “Quite a long-term operation you’ve got going there,” Dezi said. “A lot of planning.”

  “Sure, a couple years going into this one. A couple years where I watched Diamond’s business get bigger and bigger. And I decided I needed as many of her pieces as I could get my hands on to replace them with cheap imitations.”

  “And the one that you picked up from the courier today?”

  “It’s in my glove box,” he said carelessly. “What a fool to get it damaged in the sand. It’s easy enough to replace. It’ll look damn good as a new copy. I’m not sure what we’ll do with the original though. It’s really messed up. Beat the silver down pretty badly.”

  “And the earlier necklace you stole from me?” she asked. “I only found out
by accident, you know.”

  “Ah, too bad. We could have wrung that cycle out for months if not years … The real one is at my hotel. I have a buyer for it in France.” Ronnie shook his head. “Time to stop talking.”

  Dezi slid slightly to the left. The gun tracked his movements.

  “Oh, no you don’t,” Ronnie said. “All I need is for you guys to open the safe and then to die.”

  Diamond straightened. “Or I’m sure we can come to another agreement.”

  “Now, you see? Ruby really doesn’t like you. So it works much better if you’re dead. So the rest of you have to die too. Then Ruby doesn’t have to share her inheritance. I might marry her anyway. Once your father’s will is settled, it’ll be easy enough to kill her off too.”

  Chapter 15

  Diamond understood exactly what Ronnie was saying. “So you plan on killing me, killing my father, killing Dezi too since he is here, then being there to comfort my sister, who now only has to split the inheritance three ways, and then killing her off when everything’s settled.” She shook her head at his audacity.

  “A hell of a lot of money is involved,” Ronnie snapped. “I could work my entire lifetime and not make one-thousandth of that money. And it wouldn’t matter how good I was at my job.”

  “Or you could get creative, like I have,” Diamond said, “and find a way to make a living which doesn’t require that you steal from other people.”

  “Stealing is easy,” Ronnie said. “I’ve been stacking up money steadily.” He shrugged and flashed a grin. “Growing up poor and then seeing how all of you in your family waste so much means lots of money-making opportunities for me. I doubt I’ll ever have enough.”

  His tone was so casual, so nonchalant that Diamond had to wonder if being a thief was just a lifestyle for him. Just use people, take what he could, then move on—like a locust. But he was talking again.

  “I’ve even stolen from Emerald and Sapphire. They don’t know it. I’ve quietly replaced the pieces they have. They didn’t even notice. That was more for the challenge of it. Destroying you, however, well, that’s financially lovely and makes me a hero for Ruby. Of course I can’t push the family loyalty too much by telling her what I am doing for her.”

  Her father made a strangled sound.

  Diamond looked at her father, seeing his muscles tighten. “Easy, Dad.”

  Ronnie chuckled. “Yeah, easy, Dad.” And he fired.

  Only Dezi seemed to forecast what Ronnie would do and when, and Dezi shoved her father out of the way. The bullet skidded harmlessly into the wall behind him, and Dezi was on Ronnie in seconds, but he still held the gun.

  Diamond didn’t know what she was supposed to do. She looked around for a weapon. Her father had stumbled to the floor, already finding a way into the fight. She picked up her office chair and called out, “Dad, duck.” He dropped to the floor again, and she slammed the chair hard into Ronnie’s head.

  The gun flew from his hand, and Dezi quickly flipped Ronnie to the floor and rolled him over to sit on his back. Dezi looked over at Diamond, saw the chair in her hand and smiled. “Lady, you are one dangerous beauty.”

  She snorted. “There’s nothing dangerous about me.”

  “Yes, there is,” he said. “You’re very much like your namesake.”

  She looked at him. “Like diamonds? Well, diamonds are hard. Is that what you mean?” She found it difficult to keep the hurt out of her voice. With everything going on, she had become supersensitive.

  He chuckled. “They’re one of the hardest substances in the world. They’re gorgeous, and they’re the most beautiful thing in the world.”

  With a small smile, she nodded. “I’ll get more straps.” She walked into the kitchen, picked up the zap straps and brought them back to him. He went through the same motions he had the last time she had had an intruder in her home.

  Ronnie was coming to. Dezi rolled Ronnie over so he was lying on his back with his bound hands underneath him. Dezi waited until Ronnie opened his eyes and could see who Dezi was, and then he punched him hard in the jaw. “There, asshole. That’s what you get for threatening Diamond.” He got up and walked over to help Diamond’s father to his feet. “How are you doing, Henry?”

  Henry just stared at Ronnie. “I can’t believe how much destruction this asshole’s wrought.”

  “Like he said,” Dezi repeated, “once you start, it’s pretty damn easy to keep going. And, with you and Diamond gone, your three remaining daughters would be available for him to console. The jewelry stores would be split up. He’d end up with a bloody fortune in no time.”

  Diamond ran to her father and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m so grateful Ruby isn’t involved,” she murmured.

  A female called out from the nearby kitchen, “Involved in what?” Ruby stormed toward them only to gasp when she saw Ronnie on the floor. The color drained from her skin. “That’s why I’m here, Dad. I was afraid he was up to something. I came to talk to you.”

  “Oh, he was up to something, all right,” Dezi said, standing guard over Ronnie. He studied the beauty in the doorway. “He just tried to kill your father and planned on killing your sister. Mostly to make you happy. Apparently,” he added coolly, “you hate Diamond’s guts.”

  “Oh.” Ruby clutched her hands over her mouth. “I’m so sorry. I really don’t hate you,” she explained. “It’s been such hell since that DNA test.”

  “You mean the DNA test that proved I am Dad’s biological daughter?” Diamond asked in a cool tone. “Turns out Dad had us all tested. And we’re all his daughters. Which he point-blank told Sapphire. But she didn’t care about facts. It was all Sapphire’s wishful thinking that deemed I was not a Liechester. Once again her jealousy rising to the forefront. I have no idea why she hated me so …”

  Ruby stared at Diamond, her mouth unable to formulate words. Finally she burst out, “Oh my. I’m so sorry. I had no idea.” She swallowed hard then added, “She hated you because you were the youngest, the most loved. The most spoiled. The one most like our father.” She stole a look at their father.

  “But …” only there was no use arguing. Sapphire had been like that since she’d been little. She wasn’t going to change at Diamond’s say so.

  “Just for the record—once again,” her father said emphatically, “I love all four of you equally.”

  Her father opened his arms, and both sisters ran into them. He held both daughters close and whispered, “Dezi’s got Ronnie, so we’re safe. Now all my girls need to fix your relationships with your siblings. What will you four do when I’m gone? I don’t want to see you going your separate ways, holding grudges. Family is important.”

  *

  By the time Levi and his crew arrived at Diamond’s home, the police had also pulled up, and chaos surrounded them. But they had an awful lot of solutions too. The company that had installed the store’s vault was willing to move it to her house. They agreed Dezi’s idea was the best place for it.

  And, with that in progress, the insurance company had arrived at the store while Levi was there, but Diamond wasn’t. He’d led the investigator through so he could make his report and start the repairs. If nothing else, the building had to be put back to rights for the landlord to rent out to somebody new.

  Dezi turned to Vince and said, “Hey, you up for making a trip to the grocery store and picking up, say, ten steaks?”

  Vince looked around at the number of Levi’s men gathered around to help move Di’s business here and then added in all the uniformed officials. “Yeah, what about the rest of our meal?”

  “Grab romaine lettuce for Caesar salads, and I’ve got rice here,” he said.

  Vince walked over to the gang and said, “We’ll have barbecue on the house in about an hour, if you guys can hold off that long.”

  Merk stood and smiled. “I’ll go to the liquor store for a case of beer.”

  With Merk and Flynn heading off to buy beer, Levi sat down with Henry and the two sister
s, and they went over all the details of what happened. By the time it was done, and everybody had as many questions answered as possible, Dezi picked up Diamond’s phone and handed it to her. “One more thing to do. Check up on Sammy.”

  She phoned the hospital, and, when she hung up, she smiled. “He’s awake and resting. Apparently he’ll be fine. They suggested I leave off visiting until tomorrow though because he’s drifting in and out of sleep, and the longer he sleeps, the better.”

  “Good. In the morning,” Dezi said, “we’ll go there for a visit.”

  Without warning Ruby jumped to her feet, her arms across her chest and said, “Just who the hell are you? I’ve seen more than enough loser men come through our family, trying to take our money and our companies. Who the hell vetted you so that you could be in my sister’s life?”

  Dezi slanted her a hard look. “I vetted myself. You women make shitty decisions on your own. I made this one. Diamond is mine, and that won’t change just because you say so.”

  She gasped and turned to look at her sister. “Diamond, are you okay with this?”

  Diamond was grinning. “Absolutely. Remember what is it I’m good at?” she asked her sister.

  Ruby frowned. “You make jewelry, honey. That’s what you’re good at.”

  Her father started to laugh, and Diamond continued to grin. “Absolutely. And the reason why my jewelry is so great is because I recognize quality and perfection,” she said. “And when it comes to the raw materials, Dezi has it all. Plus he’s right. I’m his, just as he’s mine. We haven’t had much time together, but that won’t change things because all he needs to know is that diamonds are forever.” She walked over to Dezi, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

  The crowd around them erupted in cheers and laughter, and Dezi didn’t give a damn about the attention. He hugged her tight and kissed her back.

  Epilogue

  Vince Manor was about to slip out and get their steaks when he heard Dezi and Diamond talking. Vince looked at his friend and shook his head. “Holy crap.” Watching the dynamics between those two, Vince had known it was serious, but he hadn’t realized just how serious.